My Parents' Song

My husband Michael and I were married in 1996 and held our reception at The Grafton Inn in Grafton, Massachusetts.

In planning the reception, we had decided to be different in some of the more traditional elements.  In this case, the tossing of the bouquet and the garter.

We swayed away from requesting all the single women come forward and fight for my beautiful bouquet of flowers.  We also didn't want to have the single men scramble all over the place trying to get a garter.  Instead we opted to surprise my mother and step-father and present them with the bouquet and garter.  Then they would have an opportunity to dance to their song, Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love".

My parents had met at a single's dance ten years before.  My step-father approached her and asked if she would like to dance.  "Can't Help Falling In Love" just so happened to be the song that was playing.  Ever since, it was known as "their song".

Mike and I kept our plans hush-hush.  Then as the moment in the reception approached, I took the microphone from the DJ and asked that my mother and father come up to the table.  There we gave my mother the bouquet and my step-father the garter.  Then they had the opportunity to dance to "their song".

Two years after their dance my mother passed away after a battle with cancer.  My step-father followed her in 2001.  Knowing they are true soul mates, I'm sure they're together in Heaven dancing away to their song, "Can't Help Falling In Love".